On Friday September 24, Decade of Sleep will be performing live at Fanshawe's Ou

t Back Shack alongside The Scenarios, Wormwood Scrubs, and the Broken Lyre. Desc
ribed as having a "progressive indie-rock sound," vocalist Phil Laffin is joined
by Matt Pataki on drums, Lance Schibler on guitar, and Eric Walker on bass. The
y hail from Toronto, but the members have roots scattered from Newfoundland to T
hunder Bay, as well as Wallaceburg and Ottawa.
Laffin quotes a range of older influences (such as Led Zeppelin and the Beatles)
, to newer independent artists such as Joel Plaskett, Zeus and The Waking Eyes.
This wide range has allowed them the opportunity to be signed to Canadian indie
label Tangents North Music, which is also the home of John Landry and David Fran
cey. Decade of Sleep have been nominated for a Toronto Indie Music Award for bes
t live band. They have had their song The Lull from their Morning Sun EP feature
d in an episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation. Decade of Sleep have also play
ed at some of Toronto's most storied venues like The Horseshoe Tavern, Lee's Pal
ace and The Molson Amphitheatre.
With the release of their new self-titled full-length debut this fall, Decade of
Sleep builds on the energy of Morning Sun with harder, more mature songs. Engin
eer Denis Tougas and mixer John "Beetle" Bailey, capture the energy and sound of
a live performance while highlighting the subtleties hidden within the songs. Q
uoted that although "their pop influences are undeniable, Decade of Sleep write
sophisticated songs, mixed with rousing drum beats and sophisticated lyrics. The
re's no stadium big enough to hold them in, but also no room small enough to cap
ture the nuances of their songs."
Decade of Sleep was formed right here at Fanshawe: "We've played at Fanshawe a f
ew times now. We all met while in MIA, and we were all in bands previously," sai
d Laffin.
Laffin, who hails from Newfoundland, studied music in Nova Scotia and left the s
tudent life behind to hone his chops as a front man of a popular east coast band
. He later moved to Iqaluit, Nunavut where he captured the hearts of the locals
singing his heart out three nights a week. Guitarist Schibler brings with him a
Humber College jazz guitar education, along with significant engineering talent
made even sharper from his day job at a successful Toronto recording studio. Dru
mmer Pataki has been playing music since he was a teenager and has become a risi
ng star in the Canadian engineering scene. Bass player Walker has been playing p
rofessionally in bands since the age of 16 and was the house guitarist at The Ra
inbow in Ottawa before he was old enough to drink. Walker joined DOS in 2009.
When Decade of Sleep play live, a lively and entertaining show is guaranteed. Ca
tchy, clever lyrics are the repertoire: strong writing that relies heavily on ch
oruses and just-left-of-centre musical ideas. Friday, September 24 will be the n
ight they return to Fanshawe, to reminisce of a friendship that began at Fanshaw
e and continues to grow.